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The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Tephritidae), is economically relevant as a highly polyphagous pest infesting over 50 host plants including commercial fruit and horticultural crops. As an invasive species, B. zonata was firmly established in Egypt and holds potential to spread further across the Mediterranean basin. The present study demonstrated that the peach fruit fly was found multiplying in olive orchards at two distant locations in Egypt. This is the first report of B. zonata developing in olives. COI barcoding has revealed evidence for high diversity across these peach fruit fly populations. These data are consistent with multiple rather than a single event leading to both peach fruit fly invasion to Egypt and its adaptation to olive. Comparative microbiomics data for B. zonata developing on different host plants were indicative for microbiome dynamics being involved in the adaptation to olive as a new niche with a potential adaptive role for Erwinia or Providencia bacteria. The possibility of symbiont transfer from the olive fruit fly to the peach fruit fly is discussed. Potentially host switch relevant bacterial symbionts might be preferred targets of symbiosis disruption strategies for integrated pest management or biological control of B. zonata.

Insecticides and genetically modified Bt crops are the main tools for control of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith). Since its invasion of Africa, the Far East, and Australia where Bt crops are largely absent, insecticide use has increased and reduced susceptibility to several insecticides used for decades in its native distribution area have been reported. Poor efficacy at field-level is sometimes incorrectly ascribed to pest resistance, while numerous other factors influence efficacy at field-level. In this paper, we review the history of insecticide resistance in S. frugiperda and discuss the influence that life history traits, migration ecology, and chemical control practices may have on control efficacy and resistance evolution. The indirect role that poor national policies have on pesticide use practices, and indirectly on control efficacy and selection pressure is discussed. Evidence shows that local selection for resistance drives resistance evolution. Integrated pest management, rather than reliance on a single tactic, is the best way to suppress S. frugiperda numbers and the over-use of insecticides which selects for resistance.

Aromia bungii (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an invasive pest, damaging Rosaceae trees (particularly Prunus) in Japan and Europe. The establishment of this beetle in Japan was first detected in 2012, and subsequently, it has rapidly expanded its distribution. Currently, Japanese populations of A. bungii are widely distributed in six non-contiguous regions. In this study, we compared the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 of the populations in these six regions in Japan to examine whether multiple introductions or human-mediated long-distance dispersal have contributed to the non-contiguous distribution of A. bungii. Seven haplotypes were detected from Japanese populations, and one of these was identical to a sequence deposited from China. One to two haplotypes were detected in each region, suggesting a genetic bottleneck. Detected haplotypes differed between introduced regions, although two regions shared a single haplotype. These results suggest that multiple independent introductions of A. bungii have contributed to its non-contiguous distribution in Japan. Quarantine measures for wood-packing materials in trade need to be strengthened to prevent the establishment of further populations of A. bungii.

Since its initial detection in Turkey in 2009, the invasive destructive pest South American tomato pinworm Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) has started its new invasion journey to east and invaded most Asian countries. This pest currently causes extensive damage to tomato production and potentially threatens key production areas such as China. To provide an overview of current status of T. absoluta in Asia, we have briefly reviewed the damage and economic impacts by this pest locally and discussed why this species has spread so rapidly among the countries. Moreover, ongoing integrated pest management options are summarized in newly invaded areas with an emphasis of discussing the potential control failures by chemical insecticides. Future research efforts on developing promising management technologies are recommended. Finally, we suggest building a cross-regional network to enhance the sustainable control of this pest.

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a devastating pest currently threatening the global tomato industry worldwide. In the last 10 years, it has spread and expanded to most of Europe, Africa and Asia, causing extensive damage to the crop itself and to the international tomato trade. With the aim of providing an overview of the current knowledge on this pest, we have briefly reviewed the available literature relying on its spread, quarantine, modeling and management. Finally, we have underlined the gaps in knowledge and provided several recommendations on how to achieve sustainable control as well as how to prevent further spread into unaffected areas.

Since its initial discovery in Allentown, PA, USA, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) has now officially has been detected in 38 states and the District of Columbia in the USA. Isolated populations also exist in Switzerland and Canada. This Asian species quickly became a major nuisance pest in the mid-Atlantic USA region due to its overwintering behavior of entering structures. BMSB has an extremely wide host range in both its native home and invaded countries where it feeds on numerous tree fruits, vegetables, field crops, ornamental plants, and native vegetation. In 2010, populations exploded causing severe crop losses to apples, peaches, sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes and row crops such as field corn and soybeans in several mid-Atlantic states. Damaging populations were detected in vineyards, small fruit and ornamentals. Researchers are collaborating to develop management solutions that will complement current integrated pest management programs. This article summarizes the current pest status and strategies being developed to manage BMSB in the USA.

Fall armyworm (FAW) was reported for the first time in Africa in 2016. FAW is widely distributed in Ethiopia, causing significant damage to maize. Nine synthetic insecticides belonging to different chemical groups and 11 pesticidal plants (botanicals) were tested for their efficacy against FAW under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions. In the laboratory, Radiant, Tracer, Karate, and Ampligo caused over 90% larval mortality 72 h after application. Malathion had moderate activity, causing 51.7% mortality 72 h after application, while Carbaryl was less effective, causing 28% mortality 72 h after application. In the greenhouse experiment, all synthetic insecticides reduced foliar damage to maize compared to the untreated control. Chemical sprays did not affect plant height, stem thickness, or leaf number. The highest fresh weight (471 g) was obtained from plants treated with Radiant. Among the botanicals tested, Azadirachta indica, Schinnus molle, and Phytolacca dodecandra resulted in the highest percentage larval mortality (>95%) 72 h after application. In the field, non-treated control plants showed extensive leaf injury compared to the synthetic insecticide- and botanical-treated plants. The synthetic insecticides and botanicals that showed high efficacy against FAW larvae can be used as components for integrated pest management (IPM) plans for FAW under smallholder farmer conditions in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a highly destructive insect pest of several crop plants and threatening global food security. The current Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) data set was analysed to predict the potential worldwide distribution of FAW under present and future climate change scenarios in 2050 and 2070 under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) 1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 emission scenario with 19 bioclimatic variables through maximum entropy (MaxEnt) niche modelling. The MaxEnt model predicted the potential distribution of S. frugiperda with area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) values of 0.915 and 0.910 during training and testing, respectively. Annual precipitation, annual mean temperature and isothermality were the strongest predictors of S. frugiperda distribution with 42.6%, 22.4% and 10% contributions, respectively. The recent CMIP6 models predicted higher suitability of FAW in North America, Africa and Asia under future climatic conditions. Global suitability of FAW is predicted to increase by 4.49% and 8.33% under SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, respectively, compared to that of current climate conditions. Multimodel ensemble predicted the highest risk of invasion and spread of FAW by 2050 and 2070 under SSP5-8.5 scenario. The predictions could be used to forecast the potential spread of FAW and combating outbreaks well in advance. Our results will be an important guide for researchers, policymakers and governments to devise suitable management strategies against this highly invasive pest.

Invasive crop pests (ICPs) are a major cause of crop losses and adversely affect global food security. Diuraphis noxia Kurdjumov is a significant ICP that feeds on the sap of crops, reducing crop yield and quality. Although estimating the geographical distribution patterns of D. noxia under climate change is critical for its management and global food security, such information remains unclear. Based on 533 global occurrence records and 9 bioclimatic variables, an optimized MaxEnt model was used to predict the potential global geographical distribution of D. noxia. The results showed that Bio1, Bio2, Bio7, and Bio12 were significant bioclimatic variables that influenced the potential geographical distribution of D. noxia. Under current climatic conditions, D. noxia was mainly distributed in west-central Asia, most of Europe, central North America, southern South America, southern and northern Africa, and southern Oceania. Under the SSP 1-2.6, SSP 2-4.5, and SSP 5-8.5 scenarios for the 2030s and 2050s, the potential suitable areas increased, and the centroid migrated to higher latitudes. The early warning of D. noxia in northwestern Asia, western Europe, and North America should be attended to further. Our results provide a theoretical basis for early monitoring and warning of D. noxia worldwide.

Information regarding the species composition and dispersal flight season of termites is crucial for termite management. The major obstacles to collecting such information are a lack of access to private buildings and shortage of workers to monitor and report on termite swarming. To overcome these difficulties, we launched a citizen science project in which members of the public and pest management professionals were invited to collect termite samples. We created the website, Taiwan Termite Identification Service, on which populace could log the collection information, and ship termite samples to our laboratory for identification. We also established a Facebook group, called the “Termite Forum,” to publicize this project. A total of 3024 samples were collected from 2015 to 2020, and we identified the species of >93% of the samples. Based on 1499 samples collected from buildings, five structural termite pests were identified, and species composition in each county of Taiwan is available. According to 844 dispersal flight events, termite dispersal flight timing peak and degree of centralization were estimated using a Gaussian model. The collected data demonstrated that the invasive termite species, Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae), continued northward expansion. The first intercepted alate of Schedorhinotermes sp. (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) indicated that it may be a new invasive pest from Southeast Asia. This study reports on a successful case of a citizen science project where urban pest data were collected on a national scale.